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Which natural and human-made objects did the Robertson Panel identify as likely explanations for UFO reports?
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unidentified flying object
Learn about an unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) sighting from this video (known as the Gimbal video) captured by fighter pilots associated with the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group. The video shows instrument detections of unknown aerial objects, which the pilots were unable to identify, off the East Coast of the United States, 2014–15.
The Robertson Panel, convened by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1953, concluded that the vast majority of unidentified flying object reports could be attributed to commonplace natural and human-made phenomena.12
The panel identified the following as likely explanations for these sightings:
- Astronomical and meteorological phenomena: This category includes bright planets and stars, meteors, auroras, and ion clouds.2
- Earthly objects: The panel cited aircraft, balloons, birds, and searchlights as common sources of confusion.2
The panel determined that these sightings posed no security risk to the United States and found no evidence to support the extraterrestrial hypothesis.12